BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Lawmakers in Albany are now scrambling to pass a budget three days after the deadline they had to get one done.
They have exactly one week to make a deal before an extension they passed Monday, runs out.
So what's the holdup in the state capitol and what will it mean if no deal is reached?
"One of the things that Gov. Hochul tries to do is include a lot of policy items in the budget, where she has a lot of power, more power than she normally does during the rest of the legislative process," Martin Group Marketing vice president of public affairs, Andrew Mangini said.
Mangini said there are three main sticking points causing a late budget:
1. Bail reform
2. Hochul's housing compact
3. Charter schools in NYC
"Bail reform is something that she has really been focused on. More than 70 percent of New Yorkers wants to give judges for discretion. Since bail reform was passed in 2019, they have already made some tweaks to it but the public is pushing for more tweaks," Mangini said.
What the state will now do is pass extenders but will still function.
In Monday's NYS Senate Session, Sen. Thomas O'Mara asked Sen. Liz Krueger about the delay.
Sen. O'Mara: "Good afternoon, Senator Krueger. Why didn't we do this bill last Friday when everybody was already here?"
Sen. Liz Krueger: "The Governor only handed that to us today. This afternoon, even."
NYS Senator Rob Ortt held a press conference Monday afternoon before the session to express his disappointment:
"After blowing through the budget deadline, Albany Democrats today pushed through a temporary extender until April 10. The Senate and Assembly Democrats still can't decide how much they will tax hardworking New Yorkers and they can't agree that they need to make changes to the disastrous bail laws that they have implemented. As a result, negotiations will now be forced to continue in the midst of the Passover and Easter holidays.
While today's budget extender is necessary to ensure hardworking state workers get their paychecks this week, it is disappointing that the Legislature has failed to enact an on-time budget that lowers costs and keeps New Yorkers safe."
Governor Kathy Hochul issued this statement Monday afternoon, in regards to the ongoing budget negotiations:
"New Yorkers are concerned about public safety, the rising cost of housing, and ensuring high-quality schools for all our kids, and any budget deal must make progress on these core issues. I have been negotiating in good faith with the legislature, but it is clear there is more work to be done before we reach an agreement. For that reason, I am submitting a bill to the legislature that would extend the budget deadline to April 10th, giving us the time we need to deliver a final budget that is responsive to the urgent needs of New Yorkers. We must make real progress to make New York more affordable, more livable and safer."
If no deal is reached by the April 10 deadline, state workers across the board will not receive pay.
